Abdominal supposteb



UNITED sTATEs raTENT orricE.

H. R. HUBBARD AND G. l/V. HUBBARD, 0F MIDDLETONN, CONNECTICUT.

ABDOMINAL SUPPCRTER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 6,853, dated April 17, 1849.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HERBERT R. HUBBARD and Grosor W. HUBBARD, both ofthe city of Middletown, in the county ot' Middlesex and State ofConnecticut, have invented new and useful lmprovement in AbdominalSupporters; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description or" the construction and operation of thesame, reference being had to the ac companying drawings, which makeapart ot this specification, in which- Figure l, is a perspective viewof the whole apparatus. Fig. 2 is a direct view, or plan of two ot theback pads, attached to the ends of their appropriate springs, whichsprings are detached from the end ot' the main spring which passesaround, over the hips to the back, and shows the clasp, or strap, underwhich the short springs are fastened. Fig. 3 is a direct view, or plan,of the other two back pads, attached to the ends of their appropriatesprings, and shows the manner of attaching these short springs to theend of the main spring which passes around over the hips to the back.Fig. l is a perspective View of a section, showing the cylindricalratch, and the spring click, or dog.

Our improvement consists in attaching one end ot' each of the mainsprings, which pass over the hips around to the back, to the uppercorner of the front pad, or supporter, by means of a cylindrical ratchand spring click, or dog, in such a manner that the pad may, at anytime, be caused to press as much as is desired, and most where it ismost needed, at the pleasure of the wearer.

We make the front, or main, pad A, Fig. l, with a plate of tinned iron,or any other suitable substance, and cover it with soft leather, orcloth, stuffed, or padded in the ordinary way. lWe make the main springD and D, Fig. l, of steel, of the lat form, and of a suitable shape topass over the hips and around to the back, and attach them, with rivets,or screws, to the shank pieces, as seen at c, Figs. l, and 4L. 7e makethe shank pieces also ot steel, and attach them to the upper corners ofthe front pad, A, Figs. l, and A, by passing the round ends throughdouble cylindrical sockets riveted to the pad, A, as seen in Figs. l,and 4. On the round part ot' each of the shank pieces, and between thetwo parts of the double cylindrical sockets, we place a cylindricalratch, c, Figs. l,

and il, secured from turning on the shank piece by a pin passing throughit, or by any other convenient means. This ratch secures the pad, A, inthe desired position by means of the spring click, or dog, F l, and A,which is also secured to the pad, A, by means ot a screw, or rivet, e,as seen in Figs. l, and il. .Ve make the four back pads ll, B, and C, C,in the co-mmon, or any other convenient way, and attach them tb the endsot' four flat steel springs, F, Figs. l, 2, and 3, by means of screws,j', f, f, f, as seen in Figs. 2, and 3. Two of these four tlat steelsprings F, are att-ached to the end ot each of the main springs, D, andD, Fig. l, by passing the ends, CZ, and d, Fig. 2, under the clasp, orstrap, d, Fig. 2, and b inserting a screw, or rivet, through the hole inthe clasp, or strap, aty CZ', through the two holes, CZ, and CZ, in thesprings, and thence into the main spring, D, Fig. 2, when they will allbe as seen in Fig. 3. This clasp, or strap, fl, F 2, and 3, we make solong as to allow the springs, F, to move on the screw, or rivet, as ajointI pin, so that either of the back pads, B, B, and C, C, may bemoved either way, as seen in Fig. l, without altering the position ofeither of the other three pads.

When worn, the back ends, d, CZ, Fig. l, of the two main springs, D, D,Fig. l, are to be connected by a leather, or other suitable strap, orfastening, as seen at E, Fig. l, hitched onto knobs on the head of thescrews, which operate as joint pins for the springs F, F, F, F, Fig. l,or by any other convenient method, so as not to interfere with the freemotion of the back pads.

The advantages of our improvement, over all others heretofore used orknown, consist in the use of two cylindrical ratches, and spring clicks,or dogs, attached to the upper edge of the front pad, or supporter, nearthe ends, in such a manner that the wearer can vary the degree ofpressure, at pleasure, not only of the whole of the tro/nt pad, but alsoto cause one end of the pad to press with greater force than the other,when deemed necessary, and thus make it answer, well, the purpose of atruss in cases of hernia inguinalis; and in such case. if found necessary, a small pad, of the'proper construction may be readily attached tothe inner surface of the front pad, by a screw, or otherwise, andremoved at pleasure.

`We are aware that a ratch and click, or

dog, has long been used for trusses; and that four back pads attached tosprings, have long been used for abdominal supporters, We thereforeclaim none of these, as such7 5 but We claim the combination of the tworatehes, and spring clicks, or dogs,'with the main springs and frontpad, so arranged as to enable the wearer to regulate the pressure of theWhole pad, or either end of it, at 10 pleasure, the Whole constructed,arranged, combined, and operating, and for the purposes, substantiallyas herein described.

HERBERT R. HUBBARD. GEORGE W. HUBBARD. Witnesses:

JENE BUEVAL, R. FITZGERALD.

